The Barber

First I'd just like to say that the plot-summary on this page is inaccurate, albeit not far from what it is about it's still inaccurate.

What is true is that it is a serial killer themed thriller which starts with a wannabe serial killer meeting the real deal.

I can't go into any details without starting to spoil stuff but there are many twists and turns throughout the movie.

Luckily these twists aren't the typical random twists that sometimes Hollywood scriptwriters tend to throw in in last minute to shock the viewer and think that they are clever but doesn't make sense with what we've just witnessed.

They all make a fair amount of sense actually in the end so that's a definite plus.

And Scott Glenn is as I said really nice to see in a lead again, a underrated actor, Chris Coy in the other lead-role is also good.

It's not a perfect movie, it does feel like they didn't have much budget or time to deal with and some characters aren't fleshed out as they could have been but it does entertains and yeah I'd watch it again.

This movie is excellent. And the people who say it's not all have the same complaint. It's not a noir neo noir film with endless 'twists'. A twists within twists and yet more twists. It's not told backwards it does have weird cuts and camera work. And Lord knows no shakeycam. How can there even exist a movie that goes from A to B to C without the obligatory 'slow burn' that starts nowhere goes nowhere and trails off to nothing like so many other highly rated movies do? That's the beauty of this film. It's tight, compact, direct, well acted, well constructed no nonsense no making the audience jump through hoops to appreciate what a genius the director sees himself as. Scott Glenn is great as a homespun malevolence playing it easy. Chris Coy does an excellent job of playing a guy who 'might' be a bad guy. All I can take one point off is the Audrey character and her involvement. Her character is unneeded entirely.

A barber comes into contact with two men fixated on what triggers evil. A father, whose life is destroyed in pursuit of a killer, and a son who is trying to prevent his father's obsession.

So, they had me hooked early on with the mention of the Kenosha PD, an organization I happen to be rather familiar with. Did this have anything to do with the story? No. But it was still a great mention.

Then we also have Scott Glenn. Although he has been acting for decades, he seems to have finally come into his own as of 2014-2015. He made a big impression on "Daredevil" that he may never had done before. I can see fans of that show wanting to see more of him ,and they will love his performance here.

An alleged veteran is forced to come out of hiding by unforeseeable circumstances, he must employ his skill once more to overcome the problem. No, this is not John Wick or Taken. The Barber is more of a noir detective movie that matches two different characters with hidden identities. The two are embroiled in a quite interesting mind game, however the plot relies too heavily on far-fetched plot devices and coincidences which feels underwhelming and contrived at latter half.

The Barber Eugene (Scott Glenn) meets with the young ambitious John (Chris Coy). Right at the introduction, John is very aggressive in his approach, claiming that Eugene is in fact a serial killer. The two try to outsmart each other and the movie is pretty good on creating layers for both of them. Scott Glenn delivers the character with precision, often looking feeble but still charismatically bizarre when needs be.

For his counterpart, Chris Coy performs admirable as well. He exhibits the contradicting youth to Glenn's more experienced nature. The chemistry is there as each finds more about each other's secrets. Visually, the movie has fitting noir look, it sets in a small town and some of the scenes are beautifully shot.

Unfortunately, it often resorts to cheap plot devices. Characters would need to find or do things just in the right time and right place. The chances of these occurring are astronomically low, especially since they speak in vague manner, yet the movie pushes the scenes as if they are destined to be. Either because the alleged killer is near psychic or the victim is dumb. It is not a clever scheme or even a planned one, at some points the movie even utilizes more subplots and flashbacks, creating inconsistent pacing flow that never feels resolved.

This is a shame because it could've been more engaging if the plot was simplified, instead it becomes forced as it tries to set overly elaborate twists. If one can get pass the irregularities, there is a good acting presence that might just entertain more on human drama aspect than its murky mystery thrill.

With a fairly engaging back story, good overall acting, and plot twists that make sense / don't feel overtly contrived, The Barber has plenty going for it as a thriller. However, there's just something overall missing, something that could have probably made it a much better film.

The pacing is so-so; it doesn't drag and in fact there are a few points where I felt things were skimmed over leaving me guessing. The dialog, perhaps, is where things got lackluster. I just had a tough time empathizing with the main characters. I was definitely interested in what they were going though but I felt no emotional involvement.

Still, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for a bit of entertainment, and its darker themes may even leave you with some philosophical musings after the credits have rolled.